World Heritage Photos

Historic City of Toledo: Toledo dates back to the Roman occupation about 192 BC. Toledo was the capital city under the Visigoths and became a fortress of the Emirate of Córdoba in 712, it was reconquered by King Alfonso VI of Castile in 1085. In the city of Toledo, Muslims, Jews and Christians lived side by side for centuries. The Holy Emperor Charles V made Toledo his capital city, the Ciudad Imperial. In 1561, the Spanish King Philip II decided to move the capital city to Madrid. The city of Toledo lost its political influence, but it remained an intellectual centre. The Greek painter El Greco (1541-1614) lived and worked in Toledo. Several monuments from the past centuries have been preserved in the historic city of Toledo such as the Alcázar of Toledo, the Cambrón Gate and the Santa Maria la Blanca, a former synagogue. There also are some of the first examples of the Mudéjar architecture in the city. Toledo is situated 70 km south of Madrid in Spain. The Historic City of Toledo was declared a UNESCO World Heritage in 1986.

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   Historic City of Toledo: The Puente de Alcántara is a Roman arch bridge over the Tagus River. The history of Toledo dates back to Roman occupation about 192 BC. Toledo was the capital city under the Visigoths. Toledo became a fortress of the Emirate of Cordoba in 712. Muslims, Jews and Christians lived side by side for centuries. Toledo was reconquered by Alfonso VI of Castile in 1085. Several monuments from the past have been preserved in the Historic City of Toledo.

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   Historic City of Toledo: The Puerta del Cambrón, the Cambrón City Gate or Gate of the Jews. The city gate is adorned with the statue of Santa Leocadia, the patron saint of Toledo. The gate was built over the ruins of a Visigoth gate, it was reconstructed in 1576. The Cambrón City Gate was the main entrance to the former Jewish quarter of Toledo. The square gate has four towers. The Historic City of Toledo was declared a UNESCO World Heritage in 1986.

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   Historic City of Toledo: The Alcázar is a huge fortress situated on the highest point of the city. It became a Roman palace in the 3th century. The Alcázar of Toledo was restored under the Holy Emperor Charles V and his son Philip II. Charles V made Toledo his capital city. King Philip II of Spain decided to move the capital city to Madrid in 1561. The Alcázar was damaged during the Spanish Civil War. Now, the building houses the Castilla-La Mancha Regional Library.

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   Historic City of Toledo: The Santa Maria la Blanca is a former synagogue in Toledo, it was built in the period 1180-1203. The synagogue is a Mudéjar building constructed by Muslim architects on Christian soil for Jewish use. The inside is full of horseshoe-shaped arches. Now, the synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca is a museum, it is situated nearby the El Transito Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in the city of Toledo. Today, the El Transito Synagogue is the Sephardic Museum.

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   Historic City of Toledo: The Santa Maria la Blanca is a former synagogue in the city of Toledo. In Spain, the tolerance towards Jews ended by the end of the 14th century. In this synagogue many Jewish people were killed during the Massacres of 1391 in Spain. The synagogue was converted into a Catholic church in the 15th century. Nowadays, the Synagogue of Santa Maria la Blanca is a monument and open to visitors.

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   Historic City of Toledo: View of Toledo. The painter El Greco lived and worked in Toledo. The El Greco Museum in Toledo houses many artworks by El Greco. One of his most notable works is: View of Toledo. Now, the painting View of Toledo is exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Spanish City of Toledo is situated on the banks of the Tagus River. The Historic City of Toledo was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1986.

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   A distant view of the historic City of Toledo. The Alcázar is to the left hand side, the cathedral in the middle and the remains of a Roman aqueduct in the foreground. Toledo is located in central Spain, 70 km south of Madrid. Toledo is also known as the City of Three Cultures, for the cultural influences of Arabs, Jewish and Christian reflected in its history. The Historic City of Toledo was built on a hilltop and is surrounded on three sides by the Tagus River.